Tommy, otherwise known as @fysikern, has collected more than 200 pairs of Adidas Stan Smith sneakers.
Considered one of the best-selling tennis shoes of all time, the style was originally released in the early 1970s. It’s hard to go anywhere now without seeing someone sporting the famous sneaker. But Tommy has been collecting Stan Smiths since long before the shoe was reintroduced in 2014 and started flying off the shelves.
In a conversation with Highsnobiety, the Swedish Stan Smith fan talked about his love for the shoe and how it all started, telling the site, “I find the Adidas Stan Smith beautiful. It’s classic, clean and simple — you could say it just attracts my eyes. In addition, it is the most iconic and comfortable sneaker that I know.”
Considering how much Tommy loves the shoe, it comes as little surprise that he keeps track of all 211 pairs. In fact, he uses an Excel spreadsheet.
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He told Highsnobiety that his devotion to the shoe began after he received a pair from his parents in 1993, at the height of the style’s popularity in Sweden. From there, his collection began to grow, and he never looked back. Tommy’s favorite pair are the “classic white-and-green ‘Made in France,’ with the classic tongue logo of Stan Smith without a mustache.” According to Tommy, it’s a “must” for collectors to have the “Made in France” pair. But in addition to France, he has pairs from places such as Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Tommy added that his oldest pair are from 1977 and feature a different portrait of Smith on the tongue. And while the superfan appreciates some of the various Stan Smith collaborations, he prefers the classics. One collab he didn’t like, though? “Personally, I don’t like the Raf Simons versions too much. Replacing the perforated three stripes with the ‘R’ is cool, but it’s not my taste. In addition, I think they’re far too expensive.”
While Tommy said he doesn’t necessarily care to meet Stan Smith, if he were to run into him, he would inform him that he owns more pairs of Stan Smiths than the tennis icon himself.
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